Isaiah 41:10 was on a lot of phones this morning. It usually shows up on a sunset with a soft font, and it reads "do not fear," which is gentle and true enough. Open the paper Bible on your kitchen table and the same verse reads like this.
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10
Those old words aren't there to sound holy. Thee and thou are singular in the Bible. When God means a crowd He says ye, and when He means one He says thou. In this verse He's talking to one servant, and He makes three promises in a single breath. He puts a yea in front of the second and the third, like a man who won't let you leave the room until you've heard him.
So who's the thou? Back up two verses and the Bible tells you.
"But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend." Isaiah 41:8
God is speaking to a whole nation as if it were one man, and He calls that man by his name. That's the plain reading, and it's worth knowing before you claim the verse. God made that promise to Israel, and He'll keep it to Israel. A Christian reads it and finds out what kind of God he's dealing with, which is no small thing.
Now read four verses further, because He says it again, and this time He tells you what He sees.
